LOGINKira's POV The silence in the private cabin pressed in like a living thing, thick and heavy. Adrian stayed on his knees in front of me, my healed hand still cradled in his like it was the most precious thing in his entire kingdom. His thumbs stroked slow circles over my knuckles, and every pass sent little sparks racing up my arm. I hated how good it felt. I hated even more that I didn’t pull away.“I’m staying right by your side,” he said, voice low and rough, like gravel under boots. “I’m not going anywhere, Kira. Not even if you don’t want me to.”I scoffed, yanking my hand back even though part of me screamed at the loss of his warmth. “Oh, please. You’re a king. You can take as many wives as you want. Don’t you already have a mistress and a child somewhere? Caroline, right?” The name tasted bitter on my tongue. “All I want is simple. Since we’re legally married, you’ll give me half of everything you own. Then you leave me alone in some beautiful mansion far away from your pa
Kira’s POVI stared at Adrian, chest heaving, tears still hot on my cheeks. His hands were gentle around my wrists, but I yanked free anyway. The rage was still there…burning low now, but not gone.“I won’t forgive you,” I said quietly. “Not yet. Maybe not ever.”His face crumpled again…real pain this time, the kind that made my own chest ache even though I didn’t want it to. I turned away before I could soften.And that’s when my eyes landed on her.“Please, let me go,” she cried.The girl…bound, gagged again, eyes wide and terrified…strapped to the seat like she was about to be executed.My finger shot out before I could stop myself.“It’s you!”Everyone froze.Adrian’s head snapped toward me. James stiffened. Victoria sucked in a breath like we were in a movie. Even the girl flinched hard against the restraints, shaking her head frantically, muffled whimpers leaking around the fresh tape.“It’s not me,” she whimpered, shaking her head.I stepped forward, pointing. “Wasn’t she the
Kira’s POVA frantic whisper yanked me out of sleep like someone had grabbed my soul and shaken it.“Come find me… come find me…”The voice was right in my ear, low, urgent, endless. I jolted upright, gasping, heart slamming against my ribs. The cabin was dark except for the faint blue glow from the overhead lights. Adrian’s scent still clung to the sheets? smoke, cedar, him, but he wasn’t there.I pressed my palms to my ears like that would stop the echo.In the dream he’d been running through fog, tall, shadowed, always just out of reach. No face. Just that whisper. Come find me. Over and over. I chased him until my lungs burned, until the ground turned to black water and swallowed my ankles, and still he kept running, calling, pulling me deeper.I’d woken up once, briefly, long enough to feel Adrian’s arms around me, his lips brushing my temple, his voice murmuring “You’re safe.” I’d believed it and drifted back under.And then the second dream hit.The man from the forest.From
Adrian’s POVThe Oden…Emma, or whatever shell she was wearing now…leaned forward again, the silver cuffs biting into her wrists without her seeming to notice. That eerie smile stayed plastered on her face like it had been carved there. Her eyes weren’t blinking anymore. Not once. Just wide, unblinking pools of black that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.But I didn't let go. My hand stayed on her neck. I needed a way out of this that would not involve my mate bleeding for it.“Are you willing to take that path?” she repeated, voice dripping with mock sweetness. “Or are you going to keep pretending you have the luxury of morals?”I felt the growl rumble low in my chest before I could stop it. “Just say it. Stop beating around the bush like a coward.”She tilted her head, studying me like I was a particularly interesting insect pinned to a board. Then she laughed again…soft this time, almost intimate, the sound crawling under my skin.“This is even better,” she murmured,
Adrian’s POVThe cabin was dim, lit only by the soft blue glow of the overhead reading lights and the faint pulse of cabin lights through the window shades. Kira stirred in my arms with a sharp, sudden gasp…like she’d been yanked out of deep water. Her body jerked once, hard, and she mumbled something incoherent, words tumbling over each other in a half-dream slur.“…no… don’t… have to find… she’s waiting…”I tightened my hold instantly, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other splayed protectively across her bare back. “Hey. Hey, princess. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”Her eyes fluttered open…wide, unfocused, pupils still blown from sleep and whatever nightmare had clawed its way in.She blinked at me like she was trying to remember where the dream ended and reality began, then sagged against my chest with a shaky exhale.I kissed her temple, tasting salt and the faint sweetness of her skin. “Bad dream?”She didn’t answer. Just pressed her face into the crook of my neck and
Adrian’s POV The private cabin door was locked. Soundproofed. Sealed. The rest of the jet might as well have been on another continent. Our kiss had deepened into something reckless, something consuming…heat building, breaths tangling…when my phone shattered the moment. I groaned under my breath and pulled away, pressing a quick, lingering kiss to her lips before stepping out. It was about her company, something that couldn’t wait. But when I returned, the fire in her eyes had softened… dimmed by sleep. She lay there, lashes heavy, lips still slightly parted like she was caught between wanting more and surrendering to exhaustion. God, I wanted her. Badly. Every inch of me burned to pick up where we left off, to drag her back into that dizzying heat. But I’m not a man who rushes what’s worth savoring. So instead, I brushed my thumb lightly over her cheek, letting the tension settle into something quieter… something promising. She’d rest. And when I had her again…I’d take
Kira’s POVDarkness pressed in from all sides, thick and suffocating, like velvet soaked in ink. I was standing in a tunnel that stretched endlessly ahead, the walls slick and shadowed, with only faint slivers of light piercing through cracks far above. My bare feet echoed softly on the cold stone
Adrian’s POVThe courtyard was alive with restless energy when I stormed out…over twenty warriors already shifted or mid-shift, massive wolves pacing in tight circles, ears pricked, hackles half-raised. No armor, no swords, no horses. We didn’t need them. Claws, teeth, speed, and raw pack fury were
Kira’s POVThe ache hit me again, harder this time, like a fist straight to my gut. I stumbled back a step, pressing my thighs together because oh my God, everything down there was throbbing, swollen, begging for something I couldn’t even name out loud. My skin felt too tight, too hot, like I was
Kira’s POVHe lowered me onto the bed like I weighed nothing, his big hands careful but shaking with restraint. The second my back hit the soft furs, his mouth was on mine again, hard, desperate, claiming. I’ve never felt so much intense need all my life. Ever. God…this is unbearable.I kissed him







